AC 3: Liberation animus subject identity “part of the mystery”

Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation writer Jill Murray has said Ubisoft has deliberately left vague the question of who’s memories the game’s story comes from.

All Assassin’s Creed games to date have featured a single protagonist, Desmond, who relives the experiences of his ancestors – Altair, Ezio, and with Assassin’s Creed 3, Connor. Aveline, the historical protagonist of Liberation, may also be one of Desmond’s ancestors – but that’s not guaranteed.

“Liberation is unique. The other games, so far, have had the character of Desmond as a present day anchor into the story. Liberation takes place entirely in the past, and we do not know whose ancestor Aveline is,” Murray told the Financial Post.

“So we’re not sure where these genetic memories have been sequenced from. But we know that this company — Abstergo Entertainment — has captured them and has packaged them in order to show us. So why does this corporation want us to see the story, what are they getting at? That’s part of the mystery of the game.”

Aveline is an interesting character for a number of reasons, not least because she’s the first playable female assassin; Murray said that Aveline’s gender shouldn’t change the game significantly.

“I think the really great thing is that it really hasn’t changed how the game is presented,” she said.

“I think it has injected some fresh energy and some new opportunities into the game. For myself, I like to think I don’t have to dig very far to understand what an adventurous woman might think like. So from that respect, it was pretty great to write freely.”

Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation arrives on Vita alongside the console versions of Assassin’s Creed 3, on October 30 in the US and October 31 in Europe.